1. Technical Field
This application is related to spacecraft radiators, and more specifically, to through-hull connectors for passing coolant through the spacecraft pressure hull.
2. Related Technology
U.S. Pat. No. 7,036,772 to Walker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,147 to Bertheux et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,510 to Low et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,520 to McKinnon et al. describe spacecraft with extensible radiators for radiating excess heat.
M. A. Warner, “Ammonia Transfer Across Rotating Joints in Space”, The 22nd Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium, N88-21492, pp. 341-353, (1988) describes a rotary fluid transfer coupling design intended for space station radiator use.
J. A. Costulis, “Development of a Rotary Joint Fluid Coupling for Space Station Freedom”, Technology 2001: The Second National Technology Transfer Conference and Exposition, Vol. 2; N92-22689, pp. 119-128, 1991, describes NASA evaluation of alternative designs for a rotary joint for carrying ammonia to and from external radiator panels.
D. Zakar, C. Amend, R. Baldauff, T. Hoang, “Steerable Radiator Concept for Optimal Performance of Spacecraft Thermal Control System”, 43rd AIAA Thermophysics Conference, 25-28 Jun. 2012, AIAA 2012-3309, 6 pages, describe a proposed steerable radiator for a spacecraft.
Additional information related to spacecraft radiator-based thermal control systems is found in the following documents: Hoang, T., M. Brown, R. Baldauff, and S. Cummings, “Development of a Two-Phase Capillary Pumped Heat Transport for Spacecraft Central Thermal Bus”, Proceedings of 2003 Space Technology and Applications International Forum, February 2003; Hoang, T., R. Baldauff, and K. Cheung, “Hybrid Two Phase Mechanical/Capillary Pumped Loop for High-Capacity Heat Transport,” SAE International Conference on Environmental Systems 2007; Zakar, D., Baldauff, R., Spencer, S., Hoang, T., and Mahony, D. “Loop Heat Pipe Utilization for Temperature Control of Electronics Deck”, 42nd AIAA Thermophysics Conference, 2011; and D. G. Gilmore, “Radiators”, Spacecraft Thermal Control Handbook, Vol. 1, pp. 207-222, 2002, each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
Twist or rotary mechanisms for transmitting optical or electrical power and signals are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,131 to Bonenberger; U.S. Pat. No. 8,283,993 to D. S. Coleman; U.S. Pat. No. 6,819,854 to Young et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,480,423 to O'Sullivan et al.; and US Patent Publication No. 20110183530 to D. S. Coleman.
Some rotary joints intended to allow fluids to pass through the spacecraft hull can leak, or have problems associated with wear or fatigue.